Gear transmission



Oct. 25, 1938. W. F. ECKERT I 2,134,109

GEAR TRANSMI S S I ON Filed Nov. 28, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR WM. F. ECKERT' 1938. w. F. ECKERT GEAIF. TRANSMISSION Filed Nov. 28, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.4

V V nmvme SHAFT INVENTOR WM. F. ECKE'RT Oct. 25, 1938.

W. F. ECKERT GEAR TRANSMISSION Filed Nov. 28, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig.6

INVENTOR WM. F'. ECKERT Patented Oct. 25, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 2,134,109 GEAR TRANSMISSION William F. Eckert, Ridley Park, Pa;

Application November 28, 1936, Serial No. 113,126 3 :Claims. (01. 74-326) This invention relates generally to change speed gear transmissions particularly adapted for in.- ternal combustion engine locomotives.

It is well known that the mechanical transmission of power from an engine to the locomotive wheels through medium of a change speed gear ransmission is one of the most difficult problems that designers of small capacity locomotives have been confronted with especially when it is attempted to provide a low cost transmission, that is compact, sturdy and efficient in operation. Innumerable attempts have been made in designing transmissions that will meet the foregoingconditions, but such designs have been deficient in that they require excessive space or are too costly or ineflicient.

It is one object of my invention to provide an improved combination and arrangement of ele ments whereby the transmission is extremely compact, sturdy and efficient without sacrifice of the proper size of gears, clutches, bearings and number of bearing supports.

Other objects and advantages will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of the complete transmission viewed from the driven end;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the complete transmission viewed from the opposite side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 55 of Fig. ei;

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 66 of Figs. 3 and 1.

In the particular embodiment of the invention which is shown herein merely for the purpose of illustrating one specific form among possible others that the invention might take in practice, I have provided a driving shaft I (Fig. 5) adapted for connection either directly or through a 'clutch to the drive shaft of an internal combustion engine or other suitable prime mover. This shaft .is journalled in suitably held bearings generally indicated at 2 and 3, it being noted that hearing 3 is mounted in a support 4 depending from the top of the gear housing generally indicated at 5. Rotatably journalledon shaft I is a reverse driving pinion 6 and a forward driving pinion I adapted alternatively to be clutched to shaft I through suitable gear type clutch rings 8 and 9 whose internal teeth are complemental to, and

respectively receive, the teeth of gears 6 and I. The clutches are suitably splined to shaft I. Inasmuch as the general and detailed structure of the transmission can be more briefly and clearly described in connection with the various gear speeds, the latter will be taken up in order.

First speed forward.-Driving pinion I as shown in Fig. 4 meshes directly with an initial driving gear II) which as shown in Fig.3 is keyed to an intermediate driving shaft I I. This shaft is journalled at its ends in bearings I2 and I3 and at the intermediate point by a bearing M, a suitable partition or vertical wall I5 being provided to ported in the vertical walls I5 and I6. Shaft 28 drives a bevel pinion 2'! meshing with a bevel gear 28 which is secured to a main transverse jackshaft 29 located to the rear of the transmission. This jackshaft as shown in Fig. 6 is peculiarly arranged so that bevel gear 28 is located at the inner heavy end of the shaft adjacent to which a large capacity frictionless bearing 29' is located upon a reduced stub portion 30 of the jackshaft. A cover 3| holds the bearing in position and is of such size as to permit removal of the jackshaft through the opening closed by the cover. The other end of the jackshaft projects outwardly through one side of the gear case and a sprocket 32- is keyed to the shaft. The outer end of the jackshaft is journalled in a bearing 33 supported in a dependent bracket 34 which is preferably bolted or otherwisesuitably secured to a horizontal shelf bracket 35 formed with the gear case. Any suitable driving chain or chains connect sprockets 32 with the driving axle of the locomotive in a manner that is well known in the art.

Second speed forwardnns is obtained by disengaging clutch 2| from gear l9 and engaging clutch 2| with gear 3'! which is journalled upon the main shaft 2! Power thereupon flows from shaft I through gear I, Fig. 4, to gear I0, shaft I l, pinion 38 keyed to shaft II and thence to gear 31 meshing with gear 38, shaft 20 and bevel gears 2'! and 28 to jackshaft 29.

Third speed f-orward'.--Clutch 2| is placed in neutral and a clutch 40 is shifted to the left to connect a gear 4| to shaft II, this gear otherwise being freely rotatably journalled on said shaft. Power is thereupon transmitted from the engine propelled shaft I, Fig. 4-, through gears 1 and ID, thence through shaft II, Fig. 3, gear 4| and a gear 42 meshing therewith and keyed to shaft 20 to drive the bevel pinions 21 and 28 and jackshaft 29.

Fourth speed forward.-Clutch' 48 is engaged with a gear 43 normally freely journalled onshaft I| thereby to cause power to be propelled from the engine driven shaft I through gears I and I0, shaft I I, gear 43 meshing with a gear 44 keyed to shaft 20 and thence through shaft 28 to the V bevel gears and jackshaft 29.

First speed reverse.--Forward speed clutch 8, Fig. 5, is disengaged and reverse clutch 8 is engaged with gear 6 which as shown in Fig.4 meshes with a gear 46. This gear 46 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is normally freely journalled on a reverse idler shaft 41. This shaft as shown in Fig. 4 is located to one side of and substantially parallel to engine driven shaft and is suitably journalled in the casing including dependent bearing support4. Gear 6 drives geatr 46 to in turn transmit power through a gear 48 meshing therewith and keyed to shaft I from which the power is transmitted through any one of the four speeds heretofore described merely by shifting the clutches 2| or 40 to their selected positions.

From the foregoing disclosure of the several gear trains, it is seen that an extremely compact, simple and yet highly rugged change speed gear transmission is provided; For example, gears Ill and" 48 are located between gears I9 and 31 whereby it is possible to take advantage of this spacing to provide for clutch 2|. Due to the relative size of the set of gears I and 48 as compared to the, set of gears I9 and 31, it is seen that the gears I0 and 48' are adapted to have their peripheries lie in relatively close relation to clutch 2| While the clutch shifting mech anism including the transverse shaft 50 and shipper yoke are adapted to be disposed beneath clutch 2| without in any way enlarging the transmission case to house the same. Similarly the size of the gears 4| and 43 compared to the gears 44 and 42 permits a clutch shipper mechanism including a transverse shaft'52 and shipper yoke 53 to be compactly located beneath clutch .40.

Casing.--This arrangement is in combination with providing ample end and intermediate bearing supports for the second and third shafts II and 20 respectively while the arrangement of the change speed gears together with the bevel gears 21 and 28 is such that a gear case of minimum weight may be provided. As shown in Fig. 1, the engine driven shaft I and idler shaft 41 are located in a gear case section 55 having its lower edge provided with a flange 56 while the rearmost portion of said case terminates in a bevel gear cover portion 51. This cover portion also extends laterally as at 58, Figs. land 6, to reinforce the horizontal shelf bracket 35 and also preferably to overlie a portion of the bracket 34 so that all three members may be commonly connected by a bolt '59. An intermediate gear case section generally indicated at 60 has an upper flange 6| mating with a flange 56 to be secured thereto by bolts while mating flanges 62 and 63 are formed respectively on the lower edge of section 60 and on the upper edge of a lower gear case section 64 to be bolted together in any usual manner. The flanges 56. and GI lie in the plane of the axis of shaft I while flanges 62 and 63 lie in the plane of the axis of shafts 20 and 29.

It is also seen from the disclosure herein that the jackshaft end of the transmission may be rigidly connected to the locomotive frame through any supplemental brackets such as 66 secured to the underside of flanges 56 and 6| while a bracket 61 is provided with flanges 68 and 69 bolted to the under side of shelf 35 and to the lower end of bearing bracket 34. To support the front end of the transmission, I provide a plate "performing the dual functions of a cover for bearing I2 and a support for any suitable transverse frame supporting member diagrammatically indicated at I2, Fig. 3. The plate is secured to the gear case by bolts 13 while the cover has a flange I4 supported on frame member I2 which in turn is secured to the gear case a by bolts I5.

Thus it is seen that this general arrangement permits the main body of a gear transmission to be located in such a horizontal plane that a minimum portion thereof, such as the upper gear case section 55, projects into the cab portion of the locomotive. Hence minimum space is required combined with maximum adaptability for connecting gear shift levers to the ends of the clutch shifting shafts 50, 52 and to the forward and reverse clutch shifting shafts I6 and 11, Fig. 5.

It will of course be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts maybe made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A gear transmission comprising, in combination, a driving shaft having a driving pinion, an intermediate shaft having an initially driven gear keyed thereto and meshing with said driving pinion, a pair of gears keyedto said intermediate shaft and located one on each side of said initially driven gear, a third shaft having gears freely journalled thereon and meshing respectively with said pair of gears, a clutch for alternatively connecting said freely journalled gears to said third shaft, a bevel pinion keyed to the end of said third shaft, a transverse jackshaft having a bevel gear meshing with said bevel pinion, an idler shaft having an idler gear freely journalled thereon, a reverse driving pinion on said main driving shaft meshing withsaid idler gear, and a gear secured to said intermediate shaft between said first pair of gears thereon and meshing with said idler gear whereby said gears which are secured to said intermediate shaft between said first set of gears thereon overlie the clutch for connecting the gears which are freely journalled on said third shaft.

2. A gear transmission comprising, in combination, a driving shaft having a driving pinion, an intermediate shaft having an initially driven gear keyed thereto and meshing with said driving pinion, a pair of gears keyed to said intermediate shaft and located one on each side of said initially driven gear, a third shaft having gears freely journalled thereon and meshing respectively with said pair of gears, a clutch for alternatively connecting said freely journalled gears to said third shaft, a bevel pinion keyed to the end of said third shaft, a transverse jackshaft having a bevel gear meshing with said bevel pinion, an idler shaft having an idler gear freely journalled thereon, a reverse driving pinion on said main driving shaft meshing with said idler gear, and a gear secured to said intermediate shaft and meshing with said idler gear.

3. A gear transmission comprising, in combination, a driving shaft having a driving pinion, an intermediate shaft having an initially driven gear keyed thereto and meshing with said driving pinion, a pair of gears keyed to said intermediate shaft and located one on each side of said initially driven gear, a third shaft having gears freely journalled thereon and meshing respectively with said pair of gears, a clutch for alternatively connecting said freely journalled gears to said third shaft, a bevel pinion keyed to the end of said third shaft, a transverse jackshaft having a bevel gear meshing with said bevel pinion, an idler shaft having an idler gear freely journalled thereon, a reverse driving pinion on said main driving shaft meshing with said idler gear, and a gear secured to said intermediate shaft and meshing with said idler gear, means for freely journalling both of said driving pinions on said driving shaft, and a clutch mechanism for alternatively connecting said driving 10 pinions to said driving shaft.

WILLIAM F. ECKERT. 

